The Composites Industry Sets to Gather at JEC World 2018

JEC World, one of the world’s largest gatherings of the global composites industry, is the only a few short days away, the event kicks off on March 6 and runs through March 8, 2018 in Paris France at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. JEC Group is the largest composite organization in the world and is entirely owned by the non-profit Center for the Promotion of Composites. JEC World is a trade show that unites composites professionals with a commitment to an international platform where users can find a full spectrum of processes, new materials, and composite solutions.

We’re excited to be in attendance of the show this year, there’s a plethora of amazing networking opportunities, from the startup booster to innovation planets. And the show is packed full of learning sessions and a well-designed and packed trade show floor, where we’ll be exhibiting in booth Hall 6, booth G59.

In preparation for the show, I sat down and talked with Timothy Schniepp, our Sr. Director of Composites Solutions who is attending the show in Paris next week. Some of the things he’s most looking forward to at JEC World this year are highlighted below.

Timothy Schniepp, Sr. Director, Composite Solutions

Hi Tim, thanks for joining me today. JEC World is quickly approaching. I know you and a few others from the Stratasys team will be in attendance this year. Ahead of JEC World 2018, what are you most looking forward to about the show?

To be honest, for those of us with a background in composites or enthusiasts in general, the “kid in a candy store” simile comes immediately to mind! JEC World is one of the largest composites-focused events in the world so it’s just a great opportunity to get a sense of where the industry is heading as well as how its responding to major market trends. Topics such as automation in composite part fabrication across markets and the the increasing demand for composites in automotive. There is clear emphasis and major interest in the implementation of thermoplastic composites. And of course, additive manufacturing continues to demonstrate its impact on composite fabrication, as well as an incredibly bright future in the space. So JEC is a great opportunity to see these trends in action – not only for us to share our latest developments for AM in composites, but also see how our partners, customers, and even competitors are responding. And it’s a great opportunity to meet with our customers and get their feedback as well as expand additional awareness of the impact of AM for composite fabrication.

What are some of the key innovations that we should be excited to experience at JEC, or in the industry as a whole?

As I mentioned above, there are some significant trends in the composites industry around automation, adoption in automotive, thermoplastic composites, and of course additive manufacturing. This type of information is great in laying out plans and roadmaps for our future solutions. And we’ll even be hinting at some of the future innovations we have coming down the road as well, which we believe has game-changing potential.

What are some of the most interesting ways that companies are thinking about, perhaps in terms of process or products, composites?

Well, composites have been used in demanding applications, particularly for aerospace, for decades. And their value is pretty well known – they offer some of the best performance to weight ratios of any engineering materials, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, and so on. That said, broad adoption has been somewhat limited by the relatively high associated costs due to high raw material costs and labor-intensive fabrication and inspection methods. But in the past few years in particular, there has been great development work and innovation around methods to reduce costs, automate fabrication, and really open up all new business cases and application spaces for these highly capable materials and resulting parts. So events like JEC World are great to see how the industry as a whole is thinking about and addressing these challenges. And it’s a great opportunity to share the work that we’re doing in additive manufacturing for composites of course too.

To learn more about the work we are doing in additive manufacturing, be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit hall 6 at JEC World 2018 to talk with Tim or our team of composites experts about Stratasys innovations. We look forward to seeing you there!